Before the advent of the printing press, weddings were announced as all other local news was announced: by the town crier. A man with stentorian voice would walk through the streets and warrens and alert the public of all upcoming nuptials. Anyone who heard the happy news was welcomed to attend the ceremony. The practice of sending handwritten wedding invitations was only common among the nobility, since illiteracy was widespread. Well-heeled families would hire monks who were trained in the art of calligraphy to hand write their invitations. By the time the printing press was invented by Johannes Gutenberg in 1447, people had been sending wedding invitations for hundreds of years. So where are we now? Shortly after World War II, middle class Westerners began to embrace the idea of the traditional white wedding. Inspired by Queen Victoria's 1840 marriage to Prince Edward, the formal or semi-formal affair included a white dress, wedding ceremony, reception and other traditional trappings. Because they were extremely expensive, wedding invitations did not become popular until fine wedding stationery was introduced after the war. While it is still the most popular type of ceremony, white weddings have lost their unquestioned dominance in recent years. Due to rising wedding costs and the global recession, couples have been exploring more affordable options. Backyard, beach and destination weddings are all the rage. The Invitations As you might expect, the invitation should reflect the style of the event. An invitation to a beach wedding should not even remotely resemble one to a more formal affair. It is also important to consider the tastes and personalities of the bride and the groom. Style Since the practice has become popular with the middle class, formal wedding invitations have always been printed on ivory, ecru or white (depending on the color of the bride's dress) and engraved with dark-gray or midnight black ink. These invitations are still the most popular for couples who are planning a formal white wedding. For everybody else, more relaxed styles have come into vogue. Couples who are planning semiformal, beach, backyard or destination weddings can choose from an almost endless variety of creative options. They can be printed on recycled or textured paper, in multiple colors, with flowers, gilt edges, and laser printed photographs. Costs The most affordable invitations are those that are purchased in do-it-yourself kits from craft stores. If a couple is willing to put in the work, it will only cost them about $1.50 for each invitation. Invitations that are printed on mid-weight paper using a demotic printing process generally cost about $3 or $4 a piece. Last but not least, the more formal wedding invitations are printed on quality handmade or silk paper and they use a high-end, contemporary printing process that can be quite costly. Formal invitations generally start at about $9 each and often go up into the double digits. Most contemporary wedding invitations include printed envelopes, reply cards, and printed envelopes in which to return the reply cards. The cost of these simple, traditional items is nearly $700 for the average American couple. Ordering Even in the digital age, some things still take time. Wedding invitations cannot be printed overnight. As a general rule of thumb, a couple should select a professional supplier shortly after they finalize their guest list. The internet is a great resource when searching for an invitation style that represents you and your betrothed perfectly. You'll find better prices and a much wider selection than you're likely to discover at a local printing shop. A common mistake, when it comes to stationery and printing, is to order a set number of invitations for each and every guest. But it is important to remember that couples can and really should be invited using the same invitation. As a matter of wedding etiquette, it is also permissible to invite children who live at home on the same invitation you send to their parents. That simple tip can save couples hundreds of dollars on stationery, printing, and postage. Some couples make the mistake of forgetting to send invitations to their parents and other members of the wedding party. Because they are often so close to the ceremony, they sometimes assume that they don't need to be notified by mail. The notification, of course, is not what is important. Most parents, relatives and close friends keep wedding invitations as cherished mementos, so don't forget them! Mailing It may be hard to believe, but many couples make mistakes at the final and most important stage of the process, the mailing. Because they have so much on their proverbial plates, they often mislabel, misaddress or attach the insufficient postage to an outgoing invitation. Remember to take your time and proofread each and every invitation carefully before you send it out! Consider these tips when searching for your picture perfect wedding invitations.